Police: Sexual assault linked to Pokémon game

ATHENS, Ga. - Athens-Clarke County Police said a man was sexually assaulted by a stranger while playing the Pokémon game.

Police said the assault happened Tuesday at 4:30 in the morning when the 24-year-old victim was sitting in his car in a parking lot behind a gaming store on Gaines School Road.

Police said the suspect approached the victim and started asking about the popular gaming app that is sweeping the country since it was first released July 6.

“He was approached by an unknown male. The male began asking if he was playing the game. The male reached out and touched the victim in the inner thigh and he started asking him sexual questions,” Sergeant Harrison Daniel said.

The victim said he did not call the police because the suspect had his hand in his pocket the entire time and the victim feared it was a gun.

Athens-Clarke County Police said they have a lead on the man. Anyone with information is asked to call investigators.